


Seeker

by Ulalume



Series: Shadow Seeker [5]
Category: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Genre: Gen, Kyr, Nikyri Tyen, Tyen'ikyr'iskatel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-29
Updated: 2013-05-29
Packaged: 2017-12-12 19:31:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/815185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulalume/pseuds/Ulalume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nikyri thinks back on the events that have shaped his life in the Empire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeker

“Kyr?” Mako’s voice floated up from the lower level of the ship.

He stood and walked towards the holoterminal. “Yeah?” he called back down to her, peering over the railing.

“Next time we’re planetside, can we work on my target practice again?” Her head was tilted back to look up at him.

He leaned his forearms against the railing, his hands clasped together, and regarded the young woman for a few seconds. “Sure. What brought this up?”

“I was just…I just don’t want to be unprepared. I mean, we’re all we have and I don’t want—” she blushed. “I like it here, I kinda want to keep liking it here. So I should be able to defend us, too. I don’t want you to die, yeah?”

“And I would like to stay alive,” his smile softened the solemn look. “I don’t want you to die, either.”

“So next time we’re on a planet. Okay?” She walked out of view.

“Okay,” Kyr agreed.

He didn’t have any qualms about Mako’s aim with a blaster, nor her skill with a knife. She wasn’t bad at all, and her slicing abilities came in very handy, but he let a satisfied smile creep over his face as he made his way back to the bridge. It was nice to know she still wanted to stick around.

Kyr wasn’t surprised that the orphan from Nar Shaddaa was still on his crew, though, not after the rest of her team was murdered, leaving only the two of them to hunt down the assassins. He had planned to go after them alone but his conscience wouldn’t let him leave a teenager on Hutta — that environment was no good for _anyone_ — so he had set down rules and taken her on. She had put her trust in him and, in turn, earned his. Now they had steady, if unexciting, work since he’d joined a Hunter’s guild. It had been a good two years so far.

What had surprised him was how he had felt immediately responsible for Mako although she clearly could take care of herself. He guessed that despite the decidedly less disciplined demeanor and much younger age, she reminded him of his sister, Nissaki. Of everything he left behind in the Ascendancy, she was the one person he truly missed. Maybe one day he’d have Mako search for information on her.

Kyr hadn’t seen his sister or his parents since he was 16. He had worked as a junior industrial engineer on Csaus but quickly tired of the politicking required to advance at work. He felt restricted by etiquette and increasingly isolated from his friends, who enjoyed playing the games. The military hierarchy — based on merit — made more sense to him, except he hadn’t been particularly interested in joining the military.

As time went on, he became disillusioned with the Ascendancy’s rigid social hierarchy and xenophobia. He was proud to be Chiss but slightly ashamed of his race’s philosophies. He didn’t like the superior attitude even while adapting alien technology to suit Chiss needs; the elitist dismissal of other intelligent races in the galaxy; and the underhanded jockeying for social standing practiced by each ruling house, all while appearing to be politely fair and equal.

Kyr might have continued on in an unsatisfactory life, dutifully adhering to social mores, had he not had a chance meeting with a Chiss bounty hunter returning a criminal back into the Ascendancy’s hands. His curiosity piqued, he had approached the hunter with questions about her specialized craft and found himself absorbed in a lengthy discussion about improving engine efficiency. The hunter, perhaps recognizing that he sought a different path in life, offered him a way out of the Ascendancy as part of her crew. Kyr jumped at the chance. He packed essential clothes, a few mementos, and wrote a brief note to his parents, a longer, more emotional note to his sister (encrypted, of course), and a note of farewell to his estranged friends. He left without any regrets.

Mindful that any Chiss he encountered would gather too much information from his real name, and unable to cast off some Chiss traditions, Kyr changed his name so that he would not cause his family undue discrimination. He was sure that aliens would not examine Chiss names closely and hoped that other Chiss would understand the significance of the words _shadow_ and _seeker_ and not ask questions.

Thus, Tyen’ikyr’iskatel began his new life traveling the galaxy while the dutiful son disappeared into the unknown regions.

Kyr looked around the bridge of his ship and felt content. His experience as part of Vaasha’s crew had been enlightening, invaluable, and exactly what he needed. She had given him the opportunity to challenge his understanding of life beyond Chiss Space and to expand his knowledge of interstellar travel, technology, weapons, and negotiation — not to mention other cultures from her other crew members. By the time he went into business for himself, he knew he’d made the right choice. He would never have been happy if he’d stayed back on Csaus.

Kyr sat back down and pulled up their coordinates, calculating the time it would take to modify their route to land on a largely unpopulated planet on the way to their pickup. If Mako was worried about being prepared, he could accommodate her request and put her at ease. After all, she was more than his crew. She was his family now.

Published on Thursday, 29 of November at 9:24pm


End file.
